But on December 3, 2007, that seemed to be the case as international visitors
and passengers gathered in a gate hold area on Concourse E to catch a glimpse
of comedian/actor Chris Tucker.

Actor Chris Tucker (L) and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew
Young (R)

Tucker was a Delta Air Lines passenger on its inaugural flight to Lagos,
Nigeria. “I think Atlanta is the best city in the world, and [Hartsfield-Jackson]
is the best airport in the world,” said Tucker. “I’m excited
about going to Africa and being a part of this [historic flight].”

The wide-body Boeing 767-300ER aircraft was filled to capacity, and the
passenger list also included U.S. Ambassador and former Atlanta Mayor Andrew
Young.

As the only major American air carrier to fly to Africa, Delta used the
flight as a springboard to continue building on its existing routes to Ghana,
Senegal and South Africa.

Whether Tucker’s fans were rushing to catch a flight or not, the
celeb watchers instantly recognized the “Rush Hour” star and
stopped to catch a glimpse. Saddled with a bag of food and large soft drink
from McDonald’s on Concourse E, Tucker, a Decatur native, graciously
put his meal aside to sign autographs and pose for pictures.

When he finally boarded the plane and told his fries were probably inedible,
Tucker pretended to scoff in anger, but softened quickly into a chuckle.

He laughed again and went on to say, “As long as the person sitting
next to me doesn’t talk all the way to Africa and lets me sleep, I’ll
be OK!” Tucker was scheduled to return to Atlanta on December 7.